Tobacco-stemming machine



Jan. 4,1927.l l 1,612,938r

J. o. MORRIS TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE Filed NOV. 19, 1924 3 She'e'CSv-Sheet yl HIIIIU" i ummm gg i in mrnmw;

Jan. 4 1927.

J. O. MORRIS TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE Fi1ed`Nov. 19, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 u 11mm.

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J. o. MoRRls TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JOHN O. MORRIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO ECLIPSE CIGAR STEMMING MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION F NEW JERSEY.

TOBACCO-STEMMING MACHINE.

Application filed November 19, 1924. Serial No. 750,742.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stemming machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

Figure et is an enlarged detail view of the knife assembly.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of Flgure 4.

Figure 6 is si le views of portions of toothed belts showing different formations of teeth. f

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are detail views.

My invention relates to machines for stripping the stems from tobacco leaves and to the leaf after it has been stemmed.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means whereby the stripped stem may be cut from the leaf at vany predeterminedpoint in the 'stripping operation so that more or less of the stem may be left in the leaf as desired. Of course, when the severing means is moved to inoperative position the entire stem may be stripped from the leaf.

Another object of my invention is to provide a gripping and straightening means for the stemmed leaf adjustable relatively to the stem severing mealis according to the length of stem to be severed, also to provide acon- 'veyor belt for the ster-uned leaf adjustable to maintain a right angle position relatively to the gripping and straightening means; and with these and other objects in View myinventon consists of the parts and combination of parts as will be more fully set forth. The reference numeral 1` designates the main frame of the machine which may be of any suitable construction designed to carry the other parts of the structure. This frame is designed to be placed on a benchl but in case it'is desirable to support it from the floor legs 2 are provided which are secured by bolts 3 to the main frame.

A driving shaft l is suitably journalled in the frame of the machine and provide-d with a worm gear 5 which meshes with a worm on one end of the power shaft 6 which in turn is provided with belt pulleys 7.

YAn overhang table 8 is secured to the main frame 1 and further supported by a suitable bracket 9, and at the outer end of this table is mounted a driven shaft 10 upon which are keyed the belt pulleys 11 parallel to the belt pulleysV 12 on shafts 4. Belts 3 are mounted on these pulleys.l A third belt 14 is mounted at one end on one of the pulleys 11 and at its other end on an idler pulley 15 which is positioned beyond the stripper rolls 16. A fourth belt 17 is also mounted on one of the pulleys 11 with its other end mounted on an idler pulley 18, the belt 17 being much shorter than the other belts, there 'being an abutment 19 adjacent the belt 17 against which the butts of the leaf-stems are pressed when the leaf 20 is placed in the machine bythe operator.

l n my machine I provide two toothed edge contacting belts 21, 22, with the teeth of one beltopposed to and in register with the teeth of the other belt, as more clearly seen in Figure 6 wherein I have shown teeth of different shapes whereby roundand rectangular stems may be firmly grasped and con veyecl to the stripper rolls 16 as will be readily understood by those skilled in this art. These toothed belts 21, 22, are mounted on pulleys 23, 24, 25, and a pulley in alignf nient with pulley and positioned vertically below the pulley 24 and on the same shaft 26 as pulley 24.v A worm 27 is mounted on shaft 6 and engages a worm on the two pulleys on shaft 26 whereby the toothed beltsare driven. It will be seen that vthe toothed belts 21, 22, are in edge contact.

Extending from the abutment 19 is a presser arm 28 under which the butt end of the leaf stem is pushed by the belt 17 which arm firmly presses the said butt end down between the teeth of the belt 22 as the belt is travelling around Vthe pulley 25 whereby the butt end is propelled to the point of edge Contact between the belts 21, 22, and firmly clamped between the edges of the two belts and between the teeth thereof and propelled to bring the butt end of the leaf into engagement with the stem drawing rolls 16 which pull the stem rearwardly from the stripping belts 21, V22, and the leaf is bunched on the other side of the stripping belts 21, 22, asbestyseen in Figure 2. The severing knife 29 is in operation and has been adjusted to sever the stem a predetermined length and in the travel of the leaf on belt 141 the stripped stem is brought into Contact with the knife and severed, at which time the apex of the stemmed leaf is in a position to be drawn in between drawing rollers 30, 31, whereby the leaf is drawn from the stripping belts and straightened. The rollers deliver the straightened leaf to. the chute 32 from whence it passes to the conveyor belt 33.

rlhe chute 32 and drawing rollers 30 and 3l are adjustably mounted on the frame of the machine by means of the pin and slot connection 34, and the conveyor belt 33 is adjustable on the frame so that it may be maintained at right angles to the chute 32. rlhe rollers and 3l are provided with intermeshing gears 3G is a belt pulley secured to the vmain shaft 6, and 37 is afbelt pulley secured to the stub shaft 33 which is mounted in a bearing 39. fr universal joint l0 between the stub shaft and the roller 30 transmits power from the shaft 33 to the rollers 30, the belt pulleys 3T and 36 being connectedA by a suitable belt 4l.

The rotary knife 29 isv keyed lo a shaft 42 mounted in a journal bearing 43 which is carried by bracket 45 adjustably secured by means ofthe bolt t3 to the part 4T of the frame of the machine. The shaft is provided withthe belt pulley 43 'which is connected by means of the belt t9 to a belt pulleyfO onthe main shaft 6. Vhen the lengthof the stem to be stripped from the leaf has been determined the bracket 45 is adjusted to posit-ion the knife 29 in position to sever the stripv stein the desired length.

The stem drawing roller 1G mounted upon suitable shafts which are connected by means of the gears 51, 52, and 53 of the main power shaft 6.

A sprocket 54 is keyed te the shaft 4eand a sprocket 55 is connected to the shaft 56 of the roller 57, said sprockets being connected by means' of the drive chain 58 whereby the conveyor -belt 33 is operated, the other end of the conveyor belt passing over the pulley 59.

ln insuring absolute alignment of the belts 2l and 22, I' provide a guide 21a having an elongated slot longitudinal thereof through which the belt 2l slides. There is a similar guide through which the belt' 22 slides and as these two guides are in vertical alignment the abutting edges of the belts 21 and 22 are n'iaintained in perfect alignment.

New to insure the proper relative position of the contacting teeth of the belts 2l and 22 l provide the pulley 29 with pins 29LYthree being l shown for illustration, 'which are equidistant apart, said pins entering` bctween and bridging the contacting teeth of the belts 2l and 22 whereby the registry of the teeth is maintained thus insuring space between them forthe butt ends of the leaf.

As will be seen in Figure 9, the rolls 32 and 33 for the bands 2l and are of different width, the roll 33 being narrower than the roll 32 `which results in the band 22 overlapping the roll 32. Thisbrings the line of contact between the teeth of the bands 2l vand on the periphery of the roll 32 and l have positioned pins 34 on the periphery of the roll 32 which are adapted to seat in the space between the teeth of the bands 2l and 22 whereby the teeth of the respective bands are alwaysmaintained in perfect registry. New in case Idesire to employ bands 2l and 22 with different shaped teeth all that is necessary is to remove the roll 32 and substitute another roll having the pins ,3M-to correspond with the perimeter of the space between the teeth of respective bands.

that l claim is:

l. A tobacco stemming machineincluding stripping rolls, rolls adjustably mounted relatively to the stripping rolls, said adjustable rolls being' adapted te 'remove the stripped .leaf from the stripping rolls and straighten the leaf, and a chute carried by said adjustable rolls, and a leaf conveyor belt adjustable to maintain a right angle position relative to said chute.

2. ln a tobacco'stemn'iingr machine, a plu` rality of leaf propelling'beltsfoffvarying lengths, stripping rolls,- `opposed r-toothed belts, the lowermost one of which is longer than the other, between the-teeth of which the leaf stem is fed, the teeth'ofy bothbelts registering and firmly holding said stem and conveying the leaf te the stripping rolls, means adjacent the stripping rolls to sever the stripped stem any predeterminedl length.

3. `ln a tobacco stemming machine, a plurality of leaf vpropelling belts of varying lengths, stripping rolls, opposed toothed belts, the lowermost one of 'which is longer than the other, between the teeth of which the leaf stem is fed,'the teethof both -belts registering and firmly holding said stem and conveying the leaf to the stripping rolls, means adjacent the stripping rolls to sever the stripped steniany predetermined length, leaf pulling and straightening-means'adjustable relatively to the stem severing means.

el. In a tobacco-stemming machine, aplurality of leaf propelling belts of varyinff lengths, stripping rolls, opposedV .toothed belts, the lowermost one of which islonger than the other, between the teeth of which the leaf stem is` fed,'the teeth of bothV belts registering and'firmly holding said stem and conveying the leaf to the stripping rolls, means adjacent the stripping rolls tolsever the stripped stem any predetermined length, leaf pulling and straightening means adjustable relatively to the stem severing means, and stemmed leaf conveyor adjustablevto maintain a positionA at right angles to the pulling and straightening means.

5. ln a tobacco stemming machine, leaf stripping means including a `pair of edge contactingbelts for confining the buttof the leaf stem therebetween, stem drawing means and stem severing means at one-@side thereof for engaging the butt end of the leaf stem and for severing the stem a predetermined length, a leaf pulling means at the other side for engaging the apex of the leaf.

6. In a tobacco stemming machine, leaf stripping means including a pair of edge contacting belts for confining the butt of the leaf stem therebetween, stem drawing means for engaging the butt end of the leaf stem and adjustable stem severing means at one side of said butt engaging means for severing the stem a predetermined length, a leaf pulling means at the other side for engaging the apex of the leaf.

7. In a tobacco stemming machine, leaf stripping means including apair of edge contacting belts for confining the butt of the leaf stem therebetween, stem drawing means for engaging the butt end of the leaf stem and adjustable stem severing meansat one side of said butt engaging means for severing the stem a predetermined length, an adj ustable leaf pulling means at the other side for engaging the apex of the leaf.

8. In a tobacco stemming machine, leaf stripping means including a pair of edge contacting belts for confining the butt of the leaf stem therebetween, pulleys for said belts, means on some of said pulleys to en- O'age the belts between the teeth thereof and bridge the joint between the contacting belts, whereby the teeth of the belts are maintained in registry.

9. In a tobacco stemming machine, leaf stripping means including a pair of edge contacting belts for confining the butt of the leaf stem therebetween, pulleys for said belts, pins projecting from the periphery of said belts and adapted to enter the spaces between the-teeth of said belts to maintain the teeth in registry.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN O. .MORRIS 

